I will be turning 33 in about 2 weeks. I did a tandem jump for the first time 2/15 and fell in love with the feeling of freefall so I signed up for AFF and did my first student jump 3/16.. I've completed through level 4 and plan on completing 5 and 6 this weekend <--- excited, yes!! I'm just curious about how many others have started this sport past the 30 mark. :)

I started at 25, but the majority of my jumps were made from 28 to 33 years of age, and I'm 45 now. The last 10 years have been sparsely populated with jumps here and there with a few long breaks. Being a home owner, husband, and father of two girls tends to get in the way.

Lol. As new as I am, I can relate with that with being a single mother, homeowner and being full time employed.. The time and the cost are both in the way! ;) Why can't I win the lottery? Oh, there is no lottery in AL :/

Several months ago on a different thread the question was asked by someone 50+. Many answered that were 50 or older when they started. 54 for me. Mid-30s, you are in the prime of your adult life. Keep your eye open for the first jump students at your DZ. Empty nest adults are not uncommon.

Had my first tandem last August, turned 32 in December and started AFF in January. Pleasantly surprising to see so many started later than us... I was mildly annoyed at myself after my first jump for not having done it a decade earlier, but hey at least I didn't start a decade later, right?

I was 18 when I did my first tandem. Had to wait until I was 19 to start my license progression because of state laws. Been 2 years. Being a poor college student has slowed me down sure, but I have my license, a bunch of jumps, and all my gear. It gets cheaper from now on right? :P

Lol. As new as I am, I can relate with that with being a single mother, homeowner and being full time employed.. The time and the cost are both in the way! ;) Why can't I win the lottery? Oh, there is no lottery in AL :/

Just open a bank account and every time you would have bought a lotto ticket, put a dollar in the bank account instead. If you planned to buy 1 lotto ticket a week, at the end of the year you'll have $52 more than you would have if you'd done that.

If you have other bad habits (Smoking comes to mind) you could kick them and put those funds into that bank account, too. It adds up pretty quickly. Spend a buck a day on a vending machine soda? That's a really good candidate for that, too (And another $365 at the end of the year.)

I did my first skydive in July of last year, at 42. I'm 100 jumps in now. Making up for lost time. I did try hang gliding back in the 90's, so a life of adventure wasn't completely unknown to me.

...at the end of the year you'll have $52 more than you would have if you'd done that.

Yeah...gas to the DZ & one jump!

Better than just giving it away, and that's assuming you stop at one $1 ticket a week.

Kick a pack-a-day smoking habit and put that $5 for the pack of ciggies in the bank instead, you'd be $1800 richer at the end of the year. Once you actually get in the habit of doing it and realize how quickly it's accumulating, it gets to be easier to sqirrel a little more away every now and again. Pretty soon you have enough for a new rig (Or a down payment on a house...)

'Course if I had $1800 sitting in savings, I'd start thinking maybe I should make that money work harder for me than it would be in a savings account, and start looking for under-valued stock. Maybe get in on the ground floor with some diesel powered nuns!